How to remove and delete cookies

Posted on June 14, 2008 at 5:36 am

Want to clear your browser of all cookies stored locally on your computer? Cookies, sometime called Web cookies or tracking cookies, are small pieces of text sent by a server to a web client (your browser) and then sent back unaltered by the client every time it accesses that server.

Cookies are used for several different purposes including authenticating, session tracking, and maintaining specific information about users, such as their site preferences or the items in their shopping carts.

Of course, you already know that cookies are a concern for Internet privacy because they track user behavior on the Internet, hence why you are looking for a way to delete or remove them, right? The problem with cookies is that they may not always provide accurate identification of a user and they can be exploited by hackers.

Cookies are quite common on many major websites and do not contain any spyware or viruses. They are simply pieces of data that help differentiate users. You can easily remove cookies from your computer in both Firefox and IE by following these simple steps:

How to remove cookies in IE

Open IE and go to Tools and then Internet Options.

internet options

Under the Browsing History section on the General tab, click on the Delete button.

delete browsing history

Now click on the Delete Cookies button. This will delete all cookies stored on your computer for Internet Explorer.

delete cookies

If you don’t want to have cookies stored at all on your computer by any website ever, then you can click on the Privacy tab while in Internet Optios and then click on Advanced.

privacy internet options

Now check the “Override automatic cookie handling” and now you can decide to block first-party and third-party cookies. This basically turns off cookies on your computer so no tracking can be done.

turn off cookies

How to remove cookies in Firefox

In Firefox, removing cookies is even easier! Click on the Tools menu option and then choose Clear Private Data.

clear private data

Check off Cookies and then click on Clear Private Data Now. This will delete all of the cookies stored on the computer for Firefox.

remove cookies

You can also turn off cookies in Firefox so that no cookies are ever stored by going to Tools and then Options. Then click on the Privacy tab.

firefox remove cookies

You would un-check Accept cookies from sites and Accept third-party cookies. That would prevent cookies from ever being stored on your computer. Remember that when you block cookies though, there will be many sites that will not be able to remember your preferences for things like layout, starting page, etc.

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» Filed Under Computer Tips

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Comments

19 Responses to “How to remove and delete cookies”

  1. basicomputer said on : July 9th, 2008 at 5:59 am

    Thanks for the tips.


  2. keith penzel said on : December 1st, 2008 at 12:58 pm

    thanks, your tips have helped me alot,


  3. Ken said on : January 21st, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    All your info was very useful. I am not so computer savvy and have a hard time rembering how people tell me how to do things sometimes. I printed this info for future reference. Thanks so much. Ken


  4. capa said on : January 30th, 2009 at 10:39 pm

    thank you for the tips


  5. Randy said on : February 8th, 2009 at 12:08 am

    Thank you for the help. I am not very good with the computer and was perplexed. You helped out and explained things very well.

    Randy.


  6. demz said on : February 9th, 2009 at 12:08 pm

    thank you so much for the tips


  7. F S said on : February 11th, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    I am a fastidiously private guy, heavily libertarian (which, in a nutshell, means leave me alone), and I do not think I am going too far in thinking cookies are basically evil and always have been. I have no need for a Web site to remember me, am happy to sign in every time I visit, and am never looking for an enhanced browsing experience.

    There are some Web sites that obnoxiously insist that one have cookies enabled. Can you tell me if the “Keep until” I close FireFox actually eliminates ALL cookies? My settings are, “Accept cookies from sites,” but not third party, and until I close, and “Always clear my private data….”

    In IE, my settings are accept first party, allow session, and block third. (I only use IE for email.) In the old days, I used to have to delete the cookies offered, then go into the index file and delete the cookie information there less the backup cookie listings in the index file restore the cookie information to the main file. Now I cannot find an index file so I cannot tell what is possibly being backed up.

    As you can tell, I understand the use of cookies but see no use of them for my benefit. Please tell me if there are other settings (or other browsers) so as not to incur any cookie tracking or storage.

    Thank you.


  8. Lillian said on : May 10th, 2009 at 7:27 pm

    Thanks, greatly needed. I had a tracking cookie that copied my bank information and depleted my savings account last year when my antivirus expired. It was only one day and they got in. (I surf the internet extensively). I was selling a cell phone online and recvd an email saying that the money was put into my paypal account. I checked that my account and no money was deposited. Then I recvd another email saying that my account info needed to be updated so the money could be confirmed by paypal and to click this link. It was not paypal. Many people would have shipped without recving that money or updated their account. Then they woulde have just been out.

    I am looking at the game and typing. I hope this was helpful.


  9. buck said on : August 5th, 2009 at 2:06 pm

    How can you delete cookies from computer when your not logged in under administrator? Also if you block cookies, are they blocked on administrator as well so they can’t track what you have done?


  10. Vicky McLaurin said on : September 16th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    My Mozilla Firefox Tools tab did not have a “clear private data” . How do I clear my cookies now? Thanks, Vicky


  11. Captain Avery said on : December 8th, 2009 at 10:32 am

    Thank you guys and girls for providing simple insructions to keep our laptops under our control rather than unknown remote sources. Keep up the good work! TKS


  12. Leonardo said on : January 25th, 2010 at 8:45 am

    Is there a way to generate a VBS script that can clear out the cookies by simply running the shortcut? Thanks.


  13. Leonardo said on : January 25th, 2010 at 8:52 am

    Thanks for the article on how to delete cookies! Do all browsers maintain cookies? If so, can you tell us how to delete cookies on Firefox and Google Chrome?


  14. Collin said on : March 6th, 2010 at 9:39 pm

    If you turn off first party and third party cookies, can you still access sites where you have to login with credentials? For example, a banking website or even GMail, etc?


  15. Jim said on : March 16th, 2010 at 7:14 am

    I’ve got a question. How do I delete the cookies and temporary internet files on my Mac Computer? I have tried but do not know how.

    I also wanted to know about downloading pictures etc off of the internet. Where exactly do these downloads go. Do they automatically go to the temp files?

    Thanks


  16. Segovia said on : April 4th, 2010 at 7:59 pm

    I’ve removed all my cookies, but when I go to the download page on a website, it still remembers that I downloaded the content! Why!?


  17. connie dapolito said on : April 26th, 2010 at 8:23 pm

    how do i delete cookies from my lg env touch cell phone?


  18. Slynn said on : April 29th, 2010 at 10:32 pm

    This was very informative. Very easy to follow. Thank you!


  19. mireen said on : June 29th, 2010 at 12:42 pm

    do you know how to delete cookies from my boost mobile phone! i can’t sign onto any of face book or anything! please help!


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